Say it’s plot to end party’s reign ahead of 2023
BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Some stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress have rejected the proposed February 26 date for the party’s national convention, alleging that there is a ground plan to plung the party into crisis.
The group, under the auspices of the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum, said that the ruling party could disintegrate if it proceeded with the convention.
The party’s stakeholders stated its position at a press conference, on Thursday, in Abuja.
According to its Secretary General, Tobias Ogbeh, some elements in the party were working with foreign agents to destabilize the party at the convention.
He noted that the efforts of the elements were targeted at running a parallel secretariat and institute legal cases against the party to frustrate the hope of producing a candidate in 2023.
Ogbeh stated that if not properly managed, this could lead to mass exodus of party members over “unresolved and lingering legal issues.”
The party leadership was urged to announce another date for the convention in order to save it from being hijacked by some vested interest. With this, they said that the APC would remain united and those scheming to undermine the party would be put to shame.
A speech that was delivered by Ogbeh on the occasion read in parts, “The recent events regarding the date fixed for the party’s national convention give a cause for concern in the sense that if things are not handled properly, we stand the risk of the party disintegrating before the general elections.
“Based on a security report, we have it on good authority that a segment of our party members have been working with foreign agents to destabilize the party at the convention. They have perfected plans to run a parallel secretariat of the party and institute legal cases against the party to ensure that it doesn’t produce any candidate in 2023.
This is chiefly being coordinated by some governors who recently joined the party from the South-South region, another from one of the North-Central states and another from the North-West. They are working together with foreign mercenaries to cause an internal implosion within the party.
“We also have it on good authority that these elements have also perfected plans to use the instrument of the court to disrupt the party activities by sponsoring frivolous court cases against the party with regards to the outcome of the convention.
“Sadly, these elements that do not mean well for the party are being accorded tremendous patronage at the federal level, not knowing that these same individuals are planning to rock the party’s boat by all means necessary.
“The leadership and members of the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum is alarmed with the turn of events in our great party as the elections approach. The signs that all won’t be well with the party are apparent, and our leaders have elected to put their interest first before that of the party.
“They have forgotten that the opposition party is consolidating and putting in measures to stage a dramatic return to power as we have it on good authority of plans, also to infiltrate our party with moles who, in turn, feeds them with our strategies towards the elections.
“We wish to state boldly that the overarching objective is for a mass exodus of party members from the party due to unresolved and lingering legal issues, so much so that it would deny party members and candidates the time to fulfil the INEC stipulated requirements.
“As concerned stakeholders in the party, we wish to state that all is, indeed. not well and should the party elect to go ahead with the planned national convention of February 26, 2022, that would undoubtedly mark the journey of the disintegration of the party.
“We wish to warn the leadership of the party to see this threat as real and do all within its means to avert the looming crisis in the party by looking for an alternate date for the party convention to save the party from being hijacked by some vested interest that does not wish the party well.
“We must do all within our means to continue to be that medium that Nigerians can rely on in delivering the dividends of democracy in the country. As a result of these, we call on the party leadership to act now in the best interest of the party and the country at large.
“The NEC of the party must have a rethink with regards to holding the party convention under a rancorous circumstance and atmosphere. Our firm belief is that our party would remain united, and all those scheming to undermine the party would be put to shame.”
